As ninth-placed Mumbai Indians continue to languish at the bottom of the Indian Premier League points table with four losses in four games, pacer Jasprit Bumrah has acknowledged the “transition phase” his team is going through and assessed what needs to change to ensure success in the season.
According to Bumrah, the five-time champions have also struggled to dominate because the pitches in Mumbai and Pune have been heavily loaded in favour of batters and the toss has proved to be crucial so far.
“This year when the wickets are helping the batters and it’s difficult to take wickets, you have to find your ways. We are no different. We are trying to find new ways. We’ve come up with a few plans,” the right-arm speedster said, without divulging the plans,” said the pacer who has picked a mere three wickets in four games, he said in a press release, according to PTI.
Since the team has received a relatively new look this year with the mega-auctions, their usual bowling attack has also not made a significant impact. Playing the supporting act to Bumrah had been Tymal Mills and Basil Thampi before Mills made way for Jaydev Unadkat in their last match against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Explaining the lack of impact from the bowling end, Bumrah explained, “If it was up to me, I would say win the toss. That really helps. But yes, whenever you come into this scenario, there is a little bit of help with the new ball, so maintaining a good line, trying to swing the ball upfront, I think will help you.”
“As soon as you come to the later stages, be it the first innings or the second innings, the wicket settles down (due to dew). So then maybe you have to start your death bowling a little early.”
“All of these pointers might help the other bowlers as well, so we’re looking to address that as soon as possible and then use it to our advantage.”
Although the Mumbai-side is habitual to starting slow in the tournament, Bumrah attributed the transition that several other sides are also undergoing as the primary reason for the four consecutive losses in this season but remained secure in his optimism that their position would better when the new players have successfully adapted to the team.
“It’s a transition phase that every cricketer understands, and every team goes through that. We are in that phase; we have got a new group. So understanding the format of the IPL, how you have to handle pressure and achieve success in this league,” he said.
“We are going through that. We are looking forward that we go through this transition, and then we have all the players we had and the quality will come back again.”
“Right now, we live in the present. Yes, things have not gone according to plan so far, but we keep on fighting and we keep on finding a way.”
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